Southeastern Piano Festival

The Southeastern Piano Festival transforms the University of South Carolina School
of
Music and Columbia into a major cultural destination that draws in audiences and
young piano talent from
across the United States.

Marina Lomazov, artistic directorJoseph Rackers, program director

2015 Festival dates

June 14–21, 2015

Tickets on sale now

Purchase tickets here.$5 Student rush tickets and free tickets for those 18 and younger are available one
hour prior to each concert.

Many Southeastern Piano Festival concerts are sold-out affairs. You can ensure that
you will have a seat at the next outstanding concert by making a contribution to the
festival. To make a contribution, please contact Ann Graber, USC School of Music,
Columbia, SC 29208 (803-777-4337 or agraber@mozart.sc.edu).

Festival Guest Artists announced

The Southeastern Piano Festival is a high-level training platform for young pianists,
a presenter of new and world-renowned concert pianists and master teachers, an advocate
for new piano music, and a vehicle for exploring different roles the piano plays on
stage and beyond.

Twenty of some of the best precollege pianists on the piano scene today take part
in a rigorous program that includes daily lessons with USC piano faculty, master classes
with guest artists and up to five hours of practice a day.

The week's events culminate with the Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition,
adjudicated by a distinguished panel of judges. Winners of the competition receive
cash awards and the opportunity to perform with the South Carolina Philharmonic.

For music lovers, the Festival offers nightly concerts by a rich lineup of world-class
pianists.

The Southeastern Piano Festival presents a perfect symbiosis of the new generation
of pianists in search of inspiration and challenge and the world-class guest artists
who provide that inspiration.

The attraction of the Festival lies in its versatility: whether you're a budding piano
virtuoso, an educator or a music aficionado, the Festival offers something for everyone
who loves piano.

The 2015 outstanding lineup of guest stars

The 2015 Southeastern Piano Festival has a stellar lineup of guest artists you will
not want to miss!

2015 Guest Artists

Distinguished Guest Artist:
Yoheved Kaplinsky

Dr. Yoheved (Veda) Kaplinsky is currently the chairperson of the piano department
at the Juilliard School in New York as well as professor of piano at TCU. She began
her musical career as a prizewinner in the J.S. Bach International Competition in
Washington, D.C. A native of Israel, she studied with Ilona Vincze at the Tel Aviv
Music Academy before entering the Juilliard School as a scholarship student of Irwin
Freundlich. She holds a Master's and Doctoral degrees from Juilliard, as well as awards
for scholastic and pianistic achievements. She continued her studies with Dorothy
Taubman in New York.

Alexander Kobrin

BBC Russia named Alexander Kobrin the "Van Cliburn of today," putting him in the front
row of musicians of his generation. Internationally acclaimed pianist Alexander Kobrin
was born in 1980 in Moscow, Russia. He began playing the piano at the age of 5 and
in the same year he was enrolled in the world-famous Gnessin Special School of Music.
He completed his studies there with professor Tatiana Zelikman, and went on to further
his skills at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire with professor Lev Naumov, completing
his post-graduate studies when he was 25.

Joyce Yang

Blessed with “poetic and sensitive pianism” (Washington Post) and a “wondrous sense
of color” (San Francisco Classical Voice), pianist Joyce Yang captivates audiences
across the globe with her virtuosity, lyricism, and magnetic stage presence. At just
27, she has established herself as one of the leading artists of her generation through
her innovative solo recitals and collaborations with the world’s top orchestras. In
2010 she received an Avery Fisher Career Grant, one of classical music’s most prestigious
accolades.

Leonardo Colafelice

A veteran performer, the 19 year-old Leonardo Colafelice is taking the piano world
by storm. He won more than 20 awards and prizes in teen international competitions
prior to turning 18. Once he was age-eligible for young artist competitions in 2014,
Leonardo became the youngest finalist at the Rubinstein and Busoni International Piano
Competitions. Leonardo Colafelice was the first-prize winner of the Yamaha USASU International
Piano Competition in Arizona receiving the prize from the hands of the legendary pianist
Martha Argerich.

Special Guest Artists and Arthur Fraser Competition Judges

Natalia Antonova

Natalya Antonova made her debut with the Leningrad Philarmonic at the age of 16. As
a soloist of two major concert managements, “State Concert” and “Soviet Union Concert”,
she concertized in Russia, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Ukraine, Armenia, Byelorussia,
and other countries like Germany, France, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, South
Korea, etc.

Eduardo Delgado

International audiences and critics have consistently recognized the fiery intensity,
brilliance and contagious sensitivity in the pianism of Eduardo Delgado. His appearances
have taken him to the major music capitals of four continents—Europe, South America,
Asia and North America. Through the wide span of Delgado’s repertoire from Bach to
modern composers, audiences immediately feel and hear that music affects him very
deeply and that he shares these profound and personal emotions freely with every listener.

Ināra Zandmane

Born in the capital of Latvia, Rīga, Ināra Zandmane started to play piano at the age
of six. Ms. Zandmane holds BM and MM from Latvian Academy of Music, MM in piano performance
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and DMA in piano performance from
the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She has been the staff accompanist at the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro since 2003, performing up to fifty recitals
per year. Ms. Zandmane is frequently invited to serve as an official accompanist at
national competitions and conferences, among them the North American Saxophone Alliance
conference and the MTNA National competition since 2005.

Kevin Ahfat

Acclaimed as a pianist of "exceptional breadth" whose "spirited, flawless performance
stemmed from the very depth of his soul" (Estes Park News), Canadian-born pianist
Kevin Ahfat is an artist recognized for his deeply passionate and highly compelling
performances, possessing "a balanced mix of expressiveness and virtuosity" (Musical
America). He has performed both as solo and chamber artist in numerous venues across
the United States, including the Ikeda Theater at Mesa Arts Center in Arizona, Weill
Hall at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall in New York and Boettcher
Concert Hall and Newman Center in Colorado.

Dong Yeon Kim

At the age of 20, Dong Yeon Kim has established himself as one of the leading young
artists of his generation. His daring musicality that "took the audience by storm
with an incredibly virtuosic performance" (Columbia Free Times) has garnered first
prizes in numerous competitions.

Rieko Tsuchida

Twenty-year old pianist Rieko Tsuchida was born in Japan and began her piano studies
at age three with Ankie Foell. In 1999 she entered the San Francisco Conservatory
of Music Preparatory Division as a scholarship student of John McCarthy, who still
continues to be an important mentor and teacher. In 2011 she made her professional
debut with the California Symphony, performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto no. 1
at the Lesher Center. That year she was also the youngest of eight pianists selected
from around the world to participate in the prestigious Verbier Festival Academy in
Switzerland, where she worked with artists such as Stephen Kovacevich and Ferenc Rados.